December 2011
STYX PRIDE = 9
1 ADULT FEMALES 16 YEARS 3 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 9 YEARS 10 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 8 YEARS 2 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 3 YEARS 11 MONTHS
4 CUBS 11 MONTHS
1 CUB 5 MONTHS
MARTHLY, MALA MALA, EYREFIELD
(18 sightings)
Not as busy a month of sightings of the Styx pride as last month, although they were still viewed on more than half of the days during the month. On the days where they were not on the property we received word that they were with our neighbours to the north. A herd of buffalo in the north obviously proved too much of an attraction for them to ignore. The nine year old female was still mating at the beginning of the month (mostly with the dark maned Manyelethi male). Besides their usual haunts in the Mlowathi River, and their excursions up north, the pride’s movements have also taken them across to the Matshipiri River in the east, and even all the way up to Clarendon Dam, where they have not been seen for a very long time. At just one month short of a year now, the four older cubs are still doing very well. The youngest cub seems to have had a growth spurt this month, and is also looking in very good condition. The ‘dark maned’ Manyelethi male spent a large portion of the month with pride, as he obviously feels that he must protect his interests. They had a very good month of feeding, with many buffalo falling prey to their sharp teeth and claws.
November 2011
STYX PRIDE = 9
1 ADULT FEMALES 16 YEARS 2 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 9 YEARS 9 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 8 YEARS 1 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 3 YEARS 10 MONTHS
4 CUBS 10 MONTHS
1 CUB 4 MONTHS
MARTHLY, MALA MALA, EYREFIELD
(26 sightings)
An incredible month for the pride. At the beginning of November the pride was in the far eastern range of their territory, in the Matshipiri River. They spent a day there before slowly making their way back west, moving just a little each day. With their bellies full of buffalo, the pride had no sense of urgency. For the rest of the month they were either at Campbell Koppies or the Mlowathi River, mostly Mlowathi Dam. At one point they did go quite far west, as far as Stwise at least. A ranger taking guests up to the lookout point on Stwise was very surprised to find four cubs peering through the long grass when he summited the small koppie. He hastily made his way back down again, just in case the lionesses were around. Luckily the females had been found elsewhere that morning! The four older cubs continue to grow in size and confidence, and much to everyone’s surprise, the youngest one is still alive and doing well. The second eldest lioness has still not conceived. One of the Manyelethi males has shown an interest in mating on more than one occasion, but so far nothing has come of it. The youngest lioness is filling out nicely now, although she still isn’t interested in mating.
October 2011
STYX PRIDE = 9
1 ADULT FEMALES 16 YEARS 1 MONTH
1 ADULT FEMALE 9 YEARS 8 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 8 YEARS
1 ADULT FEMALE 3 YEARS 9 MONTHS
4 CUBS 9 MONTHS
1 CUB 3 MONTHS
MARTHLY, MALA MALA, EYREFIELD
(25 sightings)
Up a single sighting from last month’s 24. The pride has had another successful month with many kills including buffalo been taken down. The smallest cub is now three months old and has begun eating meat. Many people thought that the cub would not reach this age and would die while it was still under three months old. This young cub, if it reaches adulthood, will invariably grow up to be a strong and tough part of the pride. Being 6 months younger, and a play toy to the older cubs, the next few months will be crucial for this young cub as the buffalo herds begin to move further and further from the river and food is harder to come by. The prides movements were centred around the Mlowathi river, Piccadilly triangle and the Campbell Koppies area. Once they did move eastwards across to the Matshipiri River and caught a female buffalo. After finishing it they made their way back to the Mlowathi River. The young Styx male made a return this month and he managed to kill an adult buffalo cow by himself at Clarendon Dam. For two days he was able to feed on it until an older male lion chased him off. After that he was not seen again. As the rains come and the watering holes are replenished the buffalo herds will begin to move around and one can only hope that the Styx pride will remain here at MalaMala and find other sources of food.
September 2011
STYX PRIDE = 9
1 ADULT FEMALES 16 YEARS
1 ADULT FEMALE 9 YEARS 7 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 7 YEARS 11 MONTHS
1 SUB FEMALE 3 YEARS 8 MONTHS
4 CUBS 8 MONTHS
1 CUB 2 MONTH
MARTHLY, MALA MALA, EYREFIELD
(23 sightings)
We had a whopping 23 sightings of the Styx pride during the month. This pride certainly has regained their title as ‘the pride of MalaMala’. It is almost difficult to believe that two years ago the pride was just a shadow of its former size. There was one month when they were not even seen at all. This was back when the Mlowathi males were making their way into the reserve, and disturbing the lion population dynamics in the process. But now that the pride is under the control of the Manyelethi males it has really flourished. The eight-month-old cubs have done really well this month, and their mother has done some splendid hunting with the rest of the lionesses in the pride, but also by herself, to ensure that her little ones have had consistently full bellies. At one sighting she even took on a herd of buffalo by herself, and managed to bring a calf down. The start of the report period also saw the old lioness leading her two cubs to a waterbuck kill, even though the youngsters were too small to eat meat. After that initial sighting the cubs were not seen again for many days. Once again rumours began to surface in the rangers’ room that the little ones were dead. It was nearly three weeks before we saw one of the cubs again. This time our hypothesizing turned out to be half true, as the sighting with the single cub and the pride lasted all day, with no sign of the second cub. So by the end of the report period the numbers were standing at four lionesses, four eight month old cubs, and one two month old cub.
August 2011
STYX PRIDE = 10
1 ADULT FEMALES 15 YEARS 11 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 9 YEARS 6 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 7 YEARS 10 MONTHS
1 SUB FEMALE 3 YEARS 7 MONTHS
4 CUBS 7 MONTHS
2 CUBS 1 MONTH
MARTHLY, MALA MALA, EYREFIELD
(24 sightings)
The pride had an excellent month in August. The four cubs are doing very well and growing up quickly. Their mother is in great condition and managing to feed the cubs, and the pride as a whole is also doing exceptionally well. We saw the pride on many different kills throughout the month, and all substantial ones at that. We found them with two adult male waterbuck and two male kudu kills, and even witnessed them make some impala kills as well. The highlight of the month was definitely when one of the rangers spotted the oldest lioness high up on Campbell Koppies. What initially looked like sleeping lions turned out to be a den site. The old female had given birth around the beginning of the month and this was where she was hiding them. Then nothing..... the female left the den site and seemingly never returned. She was spotted with the pride all day everyday and we assumed that she'd abandoned her cubs. This is not entirely unusual in old or severely stressed lions, so we thought she'd given them up in order to survive. At the end of the month we found the pride on a waterbuck kill, and from within the long grass we heard some squealing, and lo and behold two tiny cubs came stumbling out. The wily old female had not only managed to keep them alive, but had also succeeded in pulling the wool over our eyes for almost a month. The cubs were introduced to the pride and immediately accepted by everyone. Let's hope they make it to maturity, as this pride is in dire need of some good luck.
July 2011
STYX PRIDE = 9
1 ADULT FEMALES 15 YEARS 10 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 9 YEARS 5 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 7 YEARS 9 MONTHS
1 SUB MALE 3 YEARS 7 MONTHS
1 SUB FEMALE 3 YEARS 6 MONTHS
4 CUBS 6 MONTHS
MARTHLY, MALA MALA, EYREFIELD
(20 sightings)
An interesting month for the Styx pride, with many sightings of them throughout July. Seven of the twenty sightings were of the pride on kills, and three of those kills we saw take place. The pride continues to use the Mlowathi River as their stomping grounds. They occasionally went over the northern boundary, but always returned again within a day or two. The most southern point that we've seen the lionesses with cubs was the Ngoboswan donga, where they led them to a buffalo calf kill. This particular kill was most probably made by two of the young Eyrefield lionesses, and then stolen by the Styx lionesses. The cubs are growing quickly, but even at six months old they are still trying to nurse from their mother. She is becoming increasingly reluctant to allow them to do so however. We saw the two adult lionesses without cubs mating with the Manyelethi males at various points throughout the month. This has been the case for most of the year in fact, so it remains to be seen whether or not they will fall pregnant. An interesting situation occurred with the oldest Styx lioness and the Eyrefield pride. The Eyrefield pride had killed a buffalo in the Sand River opposite the causeway, and thesubsequent noise of the kill and feeding activity was what attracted the Styx lioness into the area. After sitting to one side for a few hours, she eventually snuck in and started feeding right alongside the Eyrefield lionesses. The Eyrefield lionesses didn't even seem to notice her, and merely carried on eating. Clearly with feeding frenzy going on, they did not realise that an unfamiliar face was within their ranks! We didn't see the young male of the pride during the report period, and neither do have any further news of his condition or whereabouts.
June 2011
STYX PRIDE = 9
1 ADULT FEMALES 15 YEARS 9 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 9 YEARS 4 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 7 YEARS 8 MONTHS
1 SUB MALE 3 YEARS 3 MONTHS
1 SUB FEMALE 3 YEARS 2 MONTH
4 CUBS 6 MONTHS
MARTHLY, MALA MALA, EYREFIELD
(16 sightings)
A quieter month of viewing of the Styx pride compared to last month. The cubs were seen frequently in the first half of the report period, but only twice in the second half. The latter half of the month the pride were mainly to the north of our border. On one occasion a ranger heard a zebra being caught by lions just to the north of our border in the Mlowathi River, which could explain their absence. The old lioness is still trying to conceive and she was seen mating several times during the month with various Manyelethi males. It is possible that given her old age she won't be able to have another litter. The two sub-adults weren't seen during the report period and their whereabouts were unknown throughout the month. The Mlowathi Dam is still full of water, which could be an influencing factor as to the territorial movements of the pride. Hopefully as winter progresses and the dam dries up, the pride will move further south and use the Sand River as their source of water.
May 2011
STYX PRIDE = 9
1 ADULT FEMALES 15 YEARS 8 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 9 YEARS 3 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 7 YEARS 7 MONTHS
1 SUB MALE 3 YEARS 2 MONTHS
1 SUB FEMALE 3 YEARS 1 MONTH
4 CUBS 5 MONTHS
MARTHLY, MALAMALA, EYREFIELD
(24 sightings)
The pride had an excellent month here at MalaMala. All four of the adults were seen during the month, although the bulk of the sightings were of the two females and the four cubs. Nonetheless all the females looked in great shape, which is something we haven't been able to say in the last few months. It looks as if the young female is slowly being accepted by the Manyelethi males, which would be an excellent boost for the pride and hopefully bring the two separate groups together permanently. The single mother and her four cubs are excelling in the stability brought by the Manyelethi males. The cubs are incredibly relaxed and growing rapidly. It looks like there are two of each sex in the litter. The mother has been getting a lot of help from the middle-aged female in the pride and although we never witnessed them killing anything this month we often found them full bellied. The future for this pride looks extremely bright, and with the Manyelethi males reigning supreme the Styx pride might finally have turned the table on their bad luck in raising cubs.
April 2011
STYX PRIDE = 9
1 ADULT FEMALES 15 YEARS 7 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 9 YEARS 2 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 7 YEARS 6 MONTHS
1 SUB MALE 3 YEARS 1 MONTH
1 SUB FEMALE 3 YEARS
4 CUBS 4 MONTHS
MARTHLY, MALA MALA, EYREFIELD
(24 sightings)
The Styx pride continues to be the pride that we see the most on MalaMala. With the young cubs now 4 months old, they are getting bolder and bolder each day. There were many sightings this month when all 4 of the Styx lionesses were present, as were the cubs. The younger lioness took some time before getting used to the young lions, but now appears to have settled down. During the last month the Styx pride was seen in the company of at least one Manyelethi male on 14 occasions, while the cubs were seen 13 times. With the young lions reacting very well towards the vehicles, the sighting has now been opened to 3 vehicles and we are also viewing them at night. This can often be a nervous time for both rangers and lions, as we wait to see how they react. These young lions have shown no negative behaviour which is a very good sign as we look forward to many more hours of quality sightings with this pride. One of the aspects which will be watched closely with this pride is the development of the sub-adult male. We did not see him at all during this month and reports from our neighbours suggest that he was last seen being chased around by the Manyelethi males. One can only hope that he managed to survive, however the future for the young male is not a particularly rosy one.
March 2011
STYX PRIDE = 9
1 ADULT FEMALES 15 YEARS 6 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 9 YEARS 1 MONTH
1 ADULT FEMALE 7 YEARS 5 MONTHS
1 SUB MALE 3 YEARS
1 SUB FEMALE 2 YEARS 11 MONTHS
4 CUBS 3 MONTHS
MARTHLY, MALA MALA, EYREFIELD
(20 sightings)
The vast majority of the sightings of the pride consisted of the two separated lioness and the four new cubs. They have seen along the Mlowathi river system and eastwards towards the old bore hole. The cubs are extremely relaxed with the vehicles, even more so than the mothers who are still coming to terms with all that's happened in the last two years to the pride. The other three members of the pride were seen on a couple of occasions and once the entire pride was seen together with the cubs. This was interesting to witness, the irony being the fathers of the cubs are the same males trying to kill the two sub adults yet they played and romped with the new pride members showing ill thought to the cubs. The middle aged lioness was seen mating with all four Manyelethi males this month which is exciting but also disappointing as we had hoped she was already pregnant. But lets hope this time did the trick and we expect more cubs during winter. The pride has settled down into the northern parts of the Mlowathi and slightly east of that, its nice to have them back permanently on the property but they still haven't moved back to their old territory which had Campbell Koppies at its heart. But the future is starting to look bright for this pride and lets hope the males accept the sub adult female and build on what could be a timely comeback for the Styx pride.
February 2011
STYX PRIDE = 5
1 ADULT FEMALES 15 YEARS 5 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 9 YEARS
1 ADULT FEMALE 7 YEARS 4 MONTHS
1 SUB MALE 2 YEARS 11 MONTHS
1 SUB FEMALE 2 YEARS 10 MONTHS
(25 sightings)
This report period was another great time for this pride, however not on one occasion were all five members seen together, this may well be due to the fact that one of the adult females had been seen lactating and spent time away from the pride hopefully she has been successful and produced a litter of cubs that will mature and help the prides dwindling numbers. A vast majority of the sightings of this pride were of three members, the sub adult female and male and the oldest lioness. They were seen covering a vast portion of the property including on the western bank of the Sand River on a few occasions. On two occasions one of the lionesses was seen in the company of one and two of the Manyelethi males respectively. On another occasion there were four Manyelethi males in the company of one of the Styx lionesses. The young male seems to be holding on and was seen very often in the company of the young female. The immediate future for this young male is still uncertain as he is going to have to continue avoiding the dominant Manyelethi males while remaining with he pride brings huge advantages when it comes to hunting. This pride is going to be a good one to watch going forward as we wait to see if the lactating female has produced a litter and what fate awaits the young male.
January 2011
STYX PRIDE = 5
1 ADULT FEMALES 15 YEARS 4 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 8 YEARS 11 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 7 YEARS 3 MONTHS
1 SUB MALE 2 YEAR 10 MONTHS
1 SUB FEMALE 2 YEAR 9 MONTHS
MARTHLY, MALA MALA, EYREFIELD
(24 sightings)
Compared to last month it has been an absolute whopper in terms of numbers of sightings. There were not many times however when all five of the pride members were seen together. Most of the sightings were just of individuals or pairs and there were a number of days when one of the lionesses was mating with a Manyelethi male lion. The sub- adult male has been seen frequently with the lionesses but there were a few sightings of him on his own. Still having to avoid the wrath of the Manyelethi males he has covered some vast distances this past month. One night he was seen in the very north and west of the reserve and then the following day been found in the very north and east. Been on his own means he has had to provide for himself and on one occasion he managed to kill an adult female buffalo on his own, granted though that the buffalo was injured and would probably have been dead at the end of the day from its own injuries. Two of the lionesses, the oldest one and the youngest one look to be heavily pregnant still and so it is hoped that they will give birth on the property and add much needed numbers into the pride.
